How to Ripen Bananas on the Stalk

The art of harvesting your own homegrown bananas is in recognizing when then time is right to cut the stalk. Harvesting green bananas too soon produces fruits of smaller size and inferior flavor with a slower ripening time. Cut the stalk when the ridges on each banana of the last bunch of fruit become flatter and rounded, indicating that they are mature. This guarantees the finest, sweetest flavor and texture for your delectable fruit. Final ripening on the stalk is easy to do, and you can manage the process to extend enjoyment of the fruit for about two weeks.

Clean, sharp knife
Brown paper bags
Ripe apple

Instructions

- 1
  Hang the banana stalk in a cool spot outdoors in the shade for up to two weeks.
- 2
  Bring the stalk indoors if it's hot outside. Hang it in an air conditioned room for up to two weeks.
- 3
  Cut a bunch of fruit off of the stalk with a clean, sharp knife for immediate use. Cut a ripe apple in half. Close the bananas and both apple halves up in a brown paper bag. Place the bag on the counter out of direct sunlight. You'll have ripe, sweet bananas in a day or two.
- 4
  Cut a second bunch of bananas from the stalk and close it up in a brown paper bag. Set it out of direct sun on the counter. These bananas will begin to ripen three to five days after the first bunch, giving you a continuous supply of fresh fruit.

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